Monday, March 23, 2009

"Never in the field of Chiba was so much wasted by so many resulting in so few goals," would have been Winston Churchill's post-match analysis of this game.

Only caught a few glimpses, but from what I hear, after sleepily conceding in the opening seconds, Frontale dominated JEF for the remaining 89 minutes of Sunday's match. Yet for all their possession and territorial superiority, and despite more test-tube tinkering from Sekizuka, the chemical imbalance up front continues to cause problems.

A point away from home is by no means a disaster, especially given the way things have been going this season. But it doesn't bode well for a team that relies so heavily on its much-envied strike-force to be having such difficulty finding the net.

It was the same side that started aganst Pohang on Wednesday, although Mori and Murakami were given a bit more licence to come forward. Taniguchi, having suffered a broken nose during the week, only managed half a game and was replaced by an attack-minded Tasaka at the break.

Not sure why Renatinho was left out in the cold. He may not be the epitome of a "team player", but he's got buckets more talent than Kurotsu who came on for Chong Tese in the final minutes. Maybe Sekizuka's looking to instil a bit more discipline in him. Good luck on that one.

What's encouraging is to see Juninho finally open his account. And what a way to do it - curling a left-footer right into the corner from the edge of the area. It's a little concerning that it took a moment of individual brilliance to penetrate JEF's defense, but let's not forget that the turnaround at the start of last season coincided with the veteran Brazilian's return to goal-scoring form. Is this the omen we've been waiting for?

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Frontale maintained pole position in Group H with a hard-fought draw away to Korea's Pohang Steelers on Wednesday night.

Sekizuka called for an improved defensive performance from his team and, despite a nervy start, that's what he got.

It was clear from the choice of personnel and formation that the main priority here was to avoid defeat. Renatinho, Yamagishi and Igawa made way for Murakami, Mori and Yokoyama in what looked on paper like a return to the old 3-5-2. In fact, Terada and Ito were the only out-and-out defenders with Mori and Murakami playing increasingly restrained roles on the flanks and Yokoyama and Taniguchi sitting deep in the middle.

In the opening stages, this unfamiliar formation looked unlikely to help a team already short on self-belief. Kawashima was in action almost immediately to deny Pohang after they found a man in acres of space on the right of a lop-sided Frontale defense.

Then, with just 12 minutes on the clock, the home team took the lead. Exploiting another hole between Murakami and Ito, midfielder Kim Jae-Sung ran onto a well-weighted pass and poked the ball past big Eiji.

But, to be fair, that was as bad as it got. The Frontale players grew into their defensive roles and looked far more controlled for the rest of the match than in any of their previous outings.

And at the other end, Pohang were displaying frailties of their own. Keeper, Shin Hwa-Yong, was called upon to make fine saves first from Ito and then Kengo. But he was powerless in the 24th minute when Vitor Junior delivered a corner perfectly onto the head of Shuhei Terada, who made no mistake from 6 yards out.

The visitors could well have been in front by half time, with both Vitor and Taniguchi squandering good chances. The Brazilian, who's still not quite firing on all cylinders, misplaced his pass when he had the Pohang defense in disarray. Taniguchi, who'd recently had his nose burst by a stray boot, can be forgiven (just this once) for fluffing his shot in front of an open goal.

Pohang came out fighting in the second half, but never really troubled a relatively resolute Frontale defense. A slew of free kicks awarded by the whistle-happy Omani referee provided the home team's best opportunuties.

Frontale, on the other hand, were happy to sit back and play on the counter - Murakami and Mori rarely straying beyond the halfway line.

Their best chance of the second half fell to Kurotsu, on for Chong, but he could only direct his volley, from a Juninho cross, straight at the Pohang keeper.

Although Frontale could have taken all 3 points, this performance should have given their confidence a much-needed boost - at least defensively. And while Sekizuka's tactical approach doesn't quite have the dazzle of last season's all-out attack, one gets the feeling that the team will benefit from the former in the long, congested season ahead. (I reserve the right to reconsider that opinion if Yamagishi starts at right-back against JEF on Sunday!).

Extended highlights of the game can be found on YouTube: Part1, Part2, Part3.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Frontale's stuttering start to the season took a turn for the worse on Saturday as they surrendered all three points to a pretty ordinary Vissel Kobe.

A strong end to a solid first half, culminating in Chong Tese's second goal in two league outings, suggested that the team might finally be finding its feet. But such hopes were quickly banished in the second half when a soft Vissel equaliser saw an utter lack of composure sweep through the side.

This was a very open match right from the whistle. Neither keeper was unduly troubled early on, although there were the obligatory speculative long-range efforts from both teams.

Kobe were holding a very high defensive line and Kengo looked in the mood to exploit this. But his searching passes were all just slightly over-cooked, with Vissel's keeper, Tatsuya Enomoto, filling in as sweeper on a few occasions. However, it was the home team who had the first noteworthy opening when Takayuki Yoshida sent a free header inches wide from 10 yards out.

That scare sparked Frontale's front men to life. Chong Tese was a little unlucky to have a goal ruled out for offside. And then a wonderfully-weighted pass from Vitor Junior found Juninho free in the box, but his acrobatic effort was smartly saved by Enomoto low to his left.

When the breakthrough finally arrived, it was from a trademark Frontale counter-attack. Yusuke Igawa, whose every touch thus far seemed to have fallen to the opposition, intervened well to foil a Kobe raid. Following a quick one-two with Vitor, he released Juninho down the left, and the Brazilian's early cross was headed home by Chong.

The big Korean was looking much brighter than in the season's previous games and Renatinho was a constant thorn in Vissel's right side in a first half that ended with a deserved one-goal lead for the visitors.

However, within minutes of the restart Frontale's advantage, along with their self-belief, was stripped by a goal that highlighted the team's defensive frailty on its right flank. Yamagishi was pulled out of position and then failed to track back, allowing Daisuke Sudo to retrieve a simple give and go and lob a stranded Kawashima.

Frontale responded poorly to this set-back, and Kobe's confidence was growing with every wave of attack. With half an hour left to play, Sekizuka decided it was time to bring on Yokoyama to help shore up the defense. But rather than sacrificing Vitor or Taniguchi, he pulled Renatinho - a curiously cautious move with so much time left on the clock.

Whatever the intended effect of Sekizuka's tinkering, it didn't work. Not only was a dangerous attacking option no longer available, but the team looked in total disarray as it tried to come to terms with the change of formation. Kobe's tails were up and within minutes they were ahead - a flick-on met at the far post by an unmarked Shota Matsuhashi, who'd only just come on for Sudo.

Sekizuka instantly made the change that really should have happened in the first place. Off came the hapless Yamagishi and on came Mori, who was immediately tearing off up the right wing, beating two players and winning a corner. (If Mori doesn't start on Wednesday I'd be amazed.)

So in the space of 20 second-half minutes, Frontale had seen the game turned on its head. But there was still a quarter of the match left to play. Plenty of time to at least rescue a point. Surely?

'Fraid not. Although the team finally managed to secure a foothold in the game, eveything about their attacking was too rushed, too forced, too desperate.

Tasaka looked fairly sprightly when he came on for Vitor. He had a moderate penalty appeal shrugged off by the referee, and was a hair's breadth away from burying a Juninho cross right at the death. But it wasn't to be.

Of course, Kobe also had chances on the break and could have really embarrassed their guests if they'd shown a bit more composure of their own. But in the end, 2 goals were enough.

In the greater scheme of things this result, however demoralising, is hardly the end of the world. At this stage last season Frontale had the same number of points and had just been hammered 4-1 in Kobe, so in some ways this is an improvement! But it would certainly be nice to see them turn this corner sooner rather than later.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Kawasaki City Council has given a green light to the redevelopment of Todoroki Stadium.

The latest round of petitions was submitted on Monday, totalling over 180,000 signatures (well in excess of the 150,000 target). And on Thursday the council's Environmental Committee gave its unanimous approval to the project.

As yet there appear to be no concrete plans as to what form the redevelopment will take. However, the council's decision means such discussions can now begin.

In other news, Frontale have bolstered their squad with the signing of Junpei Kusukami, a 21-year-old midfielder from Doshisha University.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

On a cold, damp Wednesday night Frontale stuttered to victory in their opening ACL encounter with China's Tianjin Teda.

Group H's other two teams, Central Coast Mariners and Pohang Steelers, ground out a goalless draw, leaving Frontale top of the table. However, the prospect of a trip to Todoroki will hardly have them trembling in their boots after this rather ring rusty performance.

Sekizuka sent out the same team that started against Kashiwa on Saturday, Yamagishi still featuring at right-back. And for the opening 15 minutes they bossed the game, showing the kind of movement and control of which we all know they're capable.

On 16 minutes Frontale's dominance was rewarded. Vitor Junior beat two defenders and whipped in a cross from the left which Renatinho, leaping gazelle-like, angled inside the far post.

At this stage you'd have been forgiven for thinking a rout was on the cards. But the visitors, to their credit, had other ideas and began to expose some of their hosts' vulnerabilities.

Marshalled by former Italian international, Damiano Tommasi, Tianjin started to get stuck in to the Frontale midfield. All too soon, passes were being rushed and possession ceded in increasingly dangerous areas. This in turn led to the kind of rabbit-in-the-headlights defending that plagued much of last season.

Encouraged by this shift in the balance of play, Tianjin pressed forward. But for all their possession in and around the Frontale penalty area they only really had one good chance - a free header that was directed wide.

Half time gave Frontale the opportunity to regrow a pair and they showed much stronger resolve in the second half. The balance of power shifted back to the home team and, as the visitors began to tire from their first half efforts, Frontale's front men saw more and more of the ball.

However, as so often, it was the final ball that repeatedly let the side down. And, apart from one glorious opportunity for Chong Tese to add some sheen to an otherwise anonymous performance, there were few clear openings.

It was encouraging to see the downcast faces of the players at the end of the game. They know they're better than this performance attested and hopefully they'll be able to show that starting with the away trip to Kobe at the weekend.

Still not convinced by the Yamagishi experiment. Defensively both Mori and Yamagishi are suspect, but at least Mori knows what he's doing coming forward on the right. Yamagishi had ample opportunity to show what he can offer offensively, but he continues to look like a fish out of water. The defense looked far more stable when he was replaced by Murakami at the end, although by then, it must be said, the opposition had run out of steam.

The defense was also helped by the arrival of Yokoyama in midfield for the last 10 minutes. This lad has a bright future.

Sunday, March 08, 2009

Saturday afternoon saw a return to business as usual at Todoroki. This had all the hallmarks of your typical home game. The visitors sat back and looked to pinch a goal on the counter attack. The Frontale front men huffed and puffed but ultimately struggled to blow Kashiwa's house down (despite their defense looking decidedly un-brick-like).

There were a few new haircuts on display, which is always nice. And, perhaps most notably, a new position for Yamagishi at right-back. It seems somewhat counter-intuitive for a player who excels on the left wing to be put in at right-back, but a little experimentation is never a bad thing.

Missed the first half hour of the game, but from the highlights it looks like Reysol created the only real chances of the first half. Franca had an effort cleared off the line by the freshly-shorn Igawa and Kawashima needed to be at his best to block a close range effort, albeit from a very tight angle.

Unsurprisingly, Kashiwa looked to be having most success on Yamagishi's side. However, their lead shortly after the break resulted from a raid in behind Ito. A decent cross from the bye-line was met by the head of Suganuma, leaving big Eiji with no chance. (I don't want to start the season unfairly targeting any individuals, but Yamagishi was nowhere near Suganuma when he steered his header into the net. Would Mori have been any closer? Probably not.)

Forced to throw caution to the wind, Frontale started creating some clear-cut chances of their own. Juninho and Chong Tese both looked dangerous, if a little wayward, and Kengo, whose passing had been fairly erratic thus far, started to find his range.

With a quarter of the game left, Sekizuka tried out his next experiment, bringing on Yokoyama to allow Kengo to take up a more advanced role. It was probably the ineffective Taniguchi who was due to be replaced, but a reckless challenge from an over-enthusiastic Vitor Junior (who was awarded a yellow card but deserved a red) moments prior to the substitution may have changed the manager's mind.

Within 10 minutes the change had the desired effect. With Yokoyama sitting in front of the back four, Kengo was now a constant threat around the Reysol penalty area. And it was his deflected shot that fell kindly for Chong Tese to level things up.

As the clock ran down Frontale continued to pile on the pressure and probably created enough opportunities to deserve all three points. It was just a combination of poor finishing and bad luck that kept Kashiwa in the game.

Kengo almost beat the entire Reysol defense but his mazy run was foiled at the edge of the 6-yard box. A succession of corners saw various chances go begging - the best falling to Ito who blasted over from 10 yards. Kurotsu, on for Renatinho, stuck a boot out when he should really have left an easy finish for Juninho. Thrilling stuff, but no cigar.

If this game came in the latter stages of the season you'd say it was 2 points dropped, but as a first outing it was fairly encouraging - the second half at least. There's no denying that last season's problems are still in effect, but with Sekizuka back in the driving seat the seeds of progress appear to have been sown.